#28 A Small Lidded Box with a Pewter Rim

[@curtisstacy5829]

Fantastic job. I am going to have to try that. Thanks for sharing.

[@learningturningmetal]

Thanks Curtis - but be careful! I got hooked on turning metal and now I make model engines. Good luck! Andrew

[@PaulLockwood]

Well done Andrew, an excellent very unique lidded box. Thanks for the shout out too. You took to back hollowing far quicker than I did, the amount of catches I had to start with sent work flying off the lathe. I like the little knob on box too, makes the whole thing more practical. You will have to have a go at a finial sometime, as others will recommend that which are great for decoration. Well done and a fantastic job.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Paul - glad you like it. I think my back hollowing was beginners luck more than anything, but I feel more confident at persuing this in future. I did try making a knob out of pewter. The mould and pouring went well. Unfortunately it turned into a disaster on the lathe. Cheers. Andrew

[@docwade3409]

Beautiful Andrew! Liked and subscribed. Thanks for your time and willingness to share. Look forward to seeing more of your work!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Doc. Glad you liked it and thank you for subscribing. Cheers. Andrew

[@stubrearley9220]

Super project and great idea.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Stu. Thanks you - I'm glad you like it. I'm sure there must be other similar pieces out there - but I've not come across any yet. Cheers. Andrew

[@Bramsshed1913]

Great project Andrew, How on earth did I miss this one Cheers, Bram

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Bram. I would have never made this without being inspired by your original version. Also, you have just reminded me that I need to get some more pewter pellets and set myself another challenging project! Take care. Cheers. Andrew

[@Bramsshed1913]

Have to get some more myself , I have also been making a wish list of new tools and bits and pieces AND ordered a large bottle of smelling salts for the wife when she sees it LOL Cheers , Bram

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Classic! 😉

[@JimmiePorterAtStuartArts]

Now this is a unique project. Truly novel. You've give. Me some great ideas. Thanks!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Jimmie. Thanks for the feeback and I'm so pleased it's got you thinking of some more new ideas. Cheers. Andrew

[@johnmccormack9220]

Hi Andrew cracking little box love the pewter rim idea again great video 👍

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi John. Thank you so much. Glad you like the vid as well. All the best. Andrew

[@juliahartley6587]

great video again Andrew. lovely piece of wood and the finished box is wonderful. I found it very inspiring.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Julia, that's great and I hope you have a go at something similar. I find pewter quite time consuming to work with but so far I like the end results. Thanks and happy turning. Andrew

[@geoffspierling3206]

Very nice Andrew, we hope for more to come.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Geoff - and I hope so too 🤔 Cheers Andrew

[@marklawrence64]

Really nice project Andrew, especially liked the tips on the pewter 👍🏽 Mark

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Mark. Glad you liked it. I hope the tips come in useful. Cheers - and safe turning! Andrew

[@graemebuchanan4227]

Well done Andrew the Box looks great

[@paulblackman3936]

Nice job Andrew. I have used pewter for decoration but I used thin sheet which I burnished into place into recesses cut on the top and bottom. It worked really well and I didnt burn any saucepans in the process!! Stay safe

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Paul - your idea sounds much safer than the method I used. Unfortunately, turning pewter got me interested in turning other metals and I've now got side-tracked into making a model steam engine and creating a learning turning metal channel! I hope to get back to some woodturning soon and incorporate some more metal. Cheers Andrew

[@Lee-qp6gf]

Very nice turn, Andrew. I like your pewter work and will try it when I find something to melt down. Here, you can often find pewter objects at flee markets very cheap. Cheers, Lee

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Lee. Thank you so much and good luck with your first pewter project. Cheers. Andrew

[@leksey7870]

Beautiful! A master work!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Cheers Aleksey!

[@donnicholas4713]

Andrew, I enjoyed your video very well done, I may get enough nerve to try it myself. I live in Lakewood WA USA, just south of Seattle. Looking forward to more of your videos Cheers Don

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Don. Many thanks for commenting. Turning pewter probably isn't as scary as you might think. The only bit I don't like is getting it out of the mould, but that's because I had a bad experience. Hope you give it a try, and happy turning in Seattle. Cheers. Andrew

[@paullawless6044]

great job Andrew

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Paul. Much appreciated. Cheers. Andrew

[@MikeWaldt]

Beautiful work Andrew, gorgeous figure on that wood, and the pewter makes a great contrast. Cheers Mike

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Mike. It was an interesting little project and I'm glad you like it. Cheers. Andrew

[@erinnamenacasas7396]

Hi, Andrew!!! Very Very nice job!!!! Loved the box, the knob and specially the pewter rim!!! Congratulations!!! Cheers from Querétaro, México!!!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Erinna. Thank you so much. It took a while to make but I think it was worth it. Aclamaciones!?? from North Yorkshire, England. Andrew

[@JimsonMakes]

Very nice Andrew. Cheers, Jim

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Jim. All the best. Cheers. Andrew

[@Tassie646]

Nice work Andrew

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Mark. I'm glad you like it. PS Thanks for subscribing. Cheers Andrew

[@markonthemoors]

A very cool little piece Andy. You love a bit of pewter don't ya lol

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thank you so much Mark. Yes I do like a bit of pewter, but it can be a challenge! Cheers. Andrew

[@alansimpson596]

Very nice work Andrew. I like the idea of using pewter so I'm going to give it a go.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Alan. I'm glad it's inspired you to have a go. I've only done a couple of pieces using pewter but I find it gives a real quality look and feel. It also adds a bit of weight. Good luck and I hope it goes well. Cheers. Andrew

[@woodturningwithowen9216]

That's lovely Andrew!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hey, thanks Owen. Much appreciated. Take care. Andrew

[@monophoto1]

Excellent project with a very nice result. One thought - my experience is that a common challenge with boxes is what to do with the seam between the top and the bottom. Some people try to make the two portions match so that the join disappears, but that requires a lot of skill (more than I have). Another trick is to cut grooves in the outer surface on either side of the join, so that the join looks like a third groove. A variation on that is to use a wire burner to scorch the grooves as well as the join. It seems to me that the join between the pewter and the wood is almost invisible because it's between dissimilar materials, while the join between the top pewter ring and bottom pewter ring is fairly prominent. So something to consider - put a pewter ring on only one half of the box - a join between pewter and wood will be less visible because it's dissimilar materials, and the result will be a box where the observer won't be able to tell where the two halves meet.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Louie. Many thanks for the feedback and advice. Very interesting and definately something for me to consider next time. All the best. Andrew

[@markhobster8113]

Oh also buddy if you mount the chuck with the box on the lathe then with a piece of paper towel wedged between the box and lid apply tailstock pressure you can use the box as a friction/jamb chuck to work on the lid with the spindle gouge and clean any residue from lapped metal, the boxes flat even rim will give a nice true surface no wobbles 👍

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Mark. Thanks again for another great tip. Cheers. Andrew

[@garrybrpwine3073]

Next time you cast... look at the " Lost Wax " Casting process.. Excellent presentation !!!

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Garry. Many thanks for the advice. Having looked at a few videos on this, I think the technique is way beyond my capabilities. A very interesting process though. Cheers. Andrew

[@anthonymaida5718]

Beautiful Andrew

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Anthony. Cheers. Andrew

[@kazadthebad9995]

Most excellent work, good advice on YG onto pewter, thanks.

[@Stephens8x6Workshop]

Nice work Andrew. Love the 'contraption'. I can't get to UKIWS this year so won't get to meet you in person. Have a great time :-)

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Stephen. Yep, it's amazing what you can make out of a nut and bolt and a tennis ball. Unfortunaltely it was my dogs ball and he was following me around the workshop wondering what I was going to do with it. Looking forward to UKIWS. It was pure luck really, as I am staying in Coventry on the way to Silverstone on Sunday. So it should be a cracking weekend all round. Cheers. Andrew

[@SkipEvansx]

Hello Andrew, You inspired me to try working with pewter. All is going OK except for keeping the pewter out of the grain when sanding. Have you found a way to remove the pewter powder from the grain?

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Skip, I'm really pleased the video influenced you to give it a try. I did have a problem using Yorkshire Grit on the pewter as the paste did contaminate the wood grain. I ended up re-sanding that area and very carefully applied the YG after. I guess one solution might be to finish the wood and then put some tape over it when finishing the pewter. If you find a better solution I would be very interested hearing back. Many thanks for the feedback. Cheers Andrew

[@luisvergara6934]

Thank you I too have learned quite a lot from watching you.

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Luis. I am really pleased that you have learnt something from my attempts at turning. I hope it inspires you to give pewter a try. Cheers. Andrew

[@clivewood2148]

Hi Andrew, Great video with lovely result! Can you tell me what Yorkshire Grit/Hampshire Sheen is/are please. Regards Clive

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Clive. Yorkshire Grit is a woodturners abrasive paste. Sand to 400 and then apply YG to get a very fine finish. Check out: yorkshire-grit.com Hampshire Sheen is a wax based finishing product produced by Martin Saban-Smith in the UK. Check out: www.hampshiresheen.com I hope that helps. Have a great day. Cheers Andrew

[@paracordbraider]

I'm going to keep this in mind. Christian

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Christian, I hope it inspires you to give pewter a try. All the best. Andrew

[@raymondcarr5355]

Nice work. Could the volume of the music be the same volume as the spoken word?

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Raymond. Many thanks for the feedback. Since making this video I conducted a poll regarding backing music and the majority said that they preferred no backing. As such all my more recent videos only have music on the intro and at the end. Cheers Andrew

[@SkipEvansx]

Andrew, At what temperatures are you using melted pewter? Do you have problems with wood molds catching fire?

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Skip, many thanks for asking such an interesting question. My understanding is that pewter has a low melting point of somewhare between 170 and 230 degrees Celsius. For the moulds, I have used fairly hard wood with tight grain. The wood does go brown in places but I doubt it would ignite. I guess it would be a totally different story if you placed the hot pewter in some shavings. If you are going to give it a try I would suggest testing the process outside first of all. This should help you assess the associated risks of undertaking it in your workshop. I hope that helps. Cheers. Andrew

[@markhobster8113]

Nice work but personally I would cast the pewter with no tenon then before removing the ring from the mold cutting the tenon on the surface of the mold will also true up the ring, you can then test fit the box aswel, then remove from the mold and glue on the box. Rather than risk chewing up your chisel jaws or hands if you slip and hit the jaws ;)

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Hi Mark. That's a great suggestion and I will definately try that method next time. Many thanks. Andrew

[@markhobster8113]

Andrew Whale no problem mate, i discovered the concept of turning pewter only last night and im glad I found your channel its given me ideas ;)

[@tiddlerfromtad]

Thanks Mark. It's good to know it was of some use and inspiration! Cheers. Andrew